Trump Tells Macron: 'You Were My Guy'

BRUSSELS--As President Donald Trump met with French President Emmanuel Macron for the first time Thursday, tensions were running high.

During his successful election campaign, Mr. Macron had repeatedly criticized Mr. Trump, once calling on the U.S. president to show more humility regarding Europe and France. Mr. Trump, meanwhile, had described Mr. Macron's rival, National Front leader Marine Le Pen, as "the strongest on what's been going on in France."

But at lunch in Brussels, the relationship warmed when Mr. Trump denied he had backed Ms. Le Pen to become president. "You were my guy," Mr. Trump said, according to a French official at the lunch.

The French president is counting on such camaraderie to negotiate the thorny issues that still separate the two leaders. Chief among those at lunch was the Paris climate agreement, which France holds up as a triumph of a global multilateral coordination. Mr. Trump, however, during his election campaign threatened to pull the U.S. from the deal.

At lunch, Mr. Macron urged Mr. Trump to keep the U.S. in the climate deal, saying it also provides an opportunity for economic transformation and development. Mr. Trump responded that there are "differences but no disagreement" between France and the U.S. on the matter, French officials said.

"The U.S. President was listening, but we clearly saw he wasn't going to take a decision over lunch, and maybe not even at the G7 (summit)," one of the official said.

Is Trump Cooling on Brexit?

European Council President Donald Tusk and U.S. President Donald Trump arrive for a meeting at the EU headquarters in Brussels Thursday.Nicolas Maeterlinck/Belga/Zuma Press

U.S. President Donald Trump was one of the biggest non-British fans of Brexit, calling it a "fantastic thing" last year in the wake of the referendum and predicting it would start a trend of exits from the European Union.

But according to EU officials, Mr. Trump’s enthusiasm may have cooled somewhat–or at least, he is now more focused on the decision's costs.

At Thursday morning’s meeting between Mr. Trump and the EU’s two leaders, Jean-Claude Juncker and Donald Tusk, Brexit was one of the issues that came up for discussion.

The president “expressed concern that jobs in the U.S. would be lost because of Brexit,” said a senior EU official.

A senior U.S. official said that according to several people in the meeting Mr. Trump did not say that.

Of course, it’s in Brussels' interest to suggest the U.S. leader has cooled on Brexit.

Negotiations on the U.K.’s exit from the bloc are due to start next month after Britain’s June 8 election and the two sides appear far apart over the terms of the divorce.

The EU is also hoping to revive its negotiations on a bilateral trade accord with the U.S. Mr. Trump has already promised to make a U.K.-US trade deal a priority.

There are worries that failure to strike a divorce deal could hit the European and U.K. economies hard, affecting U.S. and other global companies and financial firms invested in the region.

President Trump Speaks at NATO Headquarters

President Donald Trump delivers a speech next to NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg.Emmanuel Dunand/Agence France-Presse/Getty Images

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Trump and Macron Display White-Knuckle Diplomacy

Before Donald Trump’s first overseas trip, some European diplomats prepped for unexpected handshakes and greetings from the U.S. president. French President Emmanuel Macron Thursday appeared to get the upper hand.

The setting was a new twist on a classic grip-and-grin between the two leaders at their first meeting.

"Each president gripped the other's hand with considerable intensity, their knuckles turning white and their jaws clenching and faces tightening," wrote White House pool reporter Philip Rucker of The Washington Post.

A video shows Mr. Trump’s hands looking red and his knuckles turning white as the two men shake. Mr. Trump appeared to try and pull away his hand, only to have Mr. Macron keep shaking. The video does not clearly show Mr. Macron’s knuckles.

Mr. Trump in January offered a combination shake-hug to FBI Director James Comey.
Ahead of Thursday’s meeting of NATO leaders in Brussels, alliance officials had made a study of Mr. Trump’s handshake style.

NATO aides reviewed video clips of handshakes that they believe went well—Danish Prime Minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau —and those that went off the rails—Mr. Abe, German Chancellor Angela Merkel and King Abdullah of Jordan.

It is not just world leaders that have approached Mr. Trump’s greetings with leaders. During Hillary Clinton’s preparations to debate Mr. Trump, she practiced avoiding her opponent’s bear hugs.

jonathan ernst/Reuters

Some alliance officials said Mr. Trump’s handshake style had grown more conventional. In April, NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg’s own visit with Mr. Trump went off without a hitch.

Few things expose the cultural gap between Europe and America better than greetings.
Europeans kiss on the cheeks, often multiple times, to the confusion of Americans.

jonathan ernst/Reuters

Americans shake hands and sometimes go for the hug. The hug throws off Europeans.
Mr. Trump has sometimes tried to pull people close, in something approximating a 1990s masculine hug, or shake for an extended period, patting the other person’s hand.

The extended shake is what Mr. Macron opted for Thursday. Whether Mr. Trump was prepared for the apparent iron grip of the French president isn’t clear.

At a second handshake later at NATO headquarters, Mr. Trump appeared to return Mr. Macron’s gesture, pulling the French President close as they shook.

The handshakes were not the only slightly awkward moment involving Mr. Trump during the NATO meetings. When leaders gathered for a family photo Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau shouted for people to wave. Mr. Trump's arms stayed at his sides. And as moving through the new headquarters, Mr. Trump seemed to push the Montenegrin Prime Minister Duško Marković aside, to move next to Mr. Stoltenberg.

-Julian E. Barnes

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EU Says Trump Agrees to Cooperate on Trade

U.S. President Donald Trump and top EU officials agreed to work on a "joint action plan" on trade, Margaritis Schinas, a spokesman for the European Commission, the EU’s executive arm, said Thursday.

Mr. Trump's views on free trade having so far yielded only bad deals for the U.S. have triggered a review of the country's trade policy, in opposition to EU's pro-free-trade stance.

European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker "insisted on intensifying trade cooperation which is a win-win situation for both sides. In this context, it was agreed to start work on a joint action plan on trade. Overall, it was a constructive discussion–the first of more to follow," Mr. Schinas said.

He described the little-over-one-hour meeting as "good, cordial and friendly" and a first opportunity to get to know the leaders of EU institutions: Mr. Juncker and Donald Tusk, the president of the European Council representing EU's 28 governments.

A senior EU official confirmed that "on trade they agreed on the common interest in working together with third countries on unfair trade practices," a veiled reference to China. "And there was also support to setting up a working group on bilateral, including difficult ones, and global trade issues," the official said.

Lithuanian President’s Promise: I Won’t Be Boring

Each of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization leaders gathered around the table for the alliance dinner meeting Thursday evening will have four minutes to speak.

With the Secretary-General, 28 allies and Montenegro, the time can add up. Especially if leaders opt to ignore the NATO countdown clock and speak for more than four minutes.
With just one working session, statements by the leaders—called interventions in NATO-speak, are particularly important a chance for the heads of state and government to make their case.

Lithuanian President Dalia Grybauskaitė said she will make the most of her chance, talking about Russia and NATO. But she will keep it quick.

“I usually talk short and straight,” said Ms. Grybauskaitė. “Hopefully I will keep his attention.”

German Chancellor Angela Merkel is the longest-serving leader in NATO but Ms. Grybauskaitė is in second place.

Ms. Grybauskaitė said the meeting is “a good occasion” to talk about the security environment and NATO reforms. Ms. Grybauskaitė was clear she sees Russia and Russian interference in the west as the greatest challenge for the NATO—a point she will make Thursday evening.

“I am ready to present what we think NATO needs to do and how NATO needs to be reformed,” she said in a recent interview. “

-- Julian E. Barnes

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EU's Tusk Says Some Issues Remain Open With Trump Administration

European Council President Donald Tusk met U.S. President Donald Trump on Thursday and said there are differences between Brussels and Washington on a number of issues, including their views on Russia.

In a short statement to reporters, Mr. Tusk said that he and European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker discussed foreign policy, security, climate change and trade relations with Mr. Trump in Brussels on Thursday morning.

"But some issues remain open, like climate and trade, and I am not 100% sure we can say today...that we have a common position, a common opinion about Russia," said former Polish premier Mr. Tusk in a short statement.

It was the first time Mr. Trump has met the EU's two top officials.

The U.S. and the EU have imposed economic sanctions on Russia over Moscow's involvement in the conflict in eastern Ukraine. Mr. Trump has set as one of his foreign policy goals to improve frosty relations between Moscow and Washington.

-- Laurence Norman

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Protesters in Brussels Voice Anger Over Trump Policies

Demonstrators wave placards and chant anti-Trump slogans while passing the former Stock Exchange building in Brussels Wednesday during protests against the upcoming NATO meeting.Robert Ghement/European Pressphoto Agency

Thousands of Brussels residents took to the streets Wednesday evening to protest the policies of U.S. President Donald Trump, who earlier landed in the European Union capital for an official visit.

Protesters voiced anger over his climate and immigration policies as well as his stance towards women and other groups.

One protestor's banner read "No hellhole here until you came," referring to previous comments by Mr. Trump about Brussels. Another sign read "Is it 2020 yet?"

The rally was largely peaceful Wednesday evening as protesters--including climate activists, trade unionists and women decked out in "pink pussy hats" ubiquitous during the Women's March--snaked their way through the city center. A van blasted electronic music as people chanted, danced and drank beers in the sun.

The march wound its way past a government-run refugee center, where a group of young Afghan refugees, who have been in Belgium for over a year, held up a large banner that said "Build Bridges Not Walls."

"Trump is a man who always wants to fight... he wants to make war, we want peace," said 21-year old Shezzad Khyber, who was part of the group.

Police officers couldn't say exactly how many protesters attended the event, but a Facebook page for the protest showed 10,000 people had confirmed their attendance, while another 21,000 said they were interested in attending.

Two young students at the Free University of Brussels--one Belgian and one American--said they had never attended a march before but felt compelled to do so to protest the American commander in chief.

"He turned us into activists," said Michael Thelen, 20, who is originally from North Dakota but is abroad in Belgium studying political science.

Margot Verhulst, the Belgian university student, said she no longer wants to visit the U.S. and support the American economy because of his poor treatment of foreigners.

Another protest is planned for Thursday, when Mr. Trump will meet with other leaders of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. That event in front of the organization's headquarters is scheduled to protest NATO and other military interventions.

First Lady, Daughter Project Warmer Face of Trump Administration

Melania Trump plays with children during her visit to the pediatric hospital at the Vatican on Wednesday.Remo Casilli/Associated Press

Following President Trump’s visit to the Vatican on Wednesday, his wife and daughter took part in separate events that projected a warmer and more gentle face of the Trump administration than most Europeans have seen so far.

First Lady Melania Trump visited the Vatican children’s hospital, Bambino Gesù, where she was greeted by a pair of children bearing white roses. She briefly prayed in front of a statue of the Virgin Mary before stepping into the hospital’s cardiac intensive-care ward, for a private visit that lasted half an hour.

Afterward, she met in a recreation room with about 20 children of various nationalities, some with leukemia or other forms of cancer. Mrs. Trump greeted them in Italian and then spoke in English, asking about their treatment.

When one little girl complained of pain in her hand, Mrs. Trump drew a heart on a bandage covering the affected spot.

Several of the children took selfies with the first lady using their cellphones, but when a boy in a wheelchair told her he didn’t have a phone, she promised that he would be sent a picture.

After sitting with the children and looking at their drawings, the first lady exchanged gifts with them. She gave each one a blue backpack and a puzzle of the White House with cherry blossoms in bloom. The children gave her a statuette of the Virgin Mary and a brightly colored poster they had made bearing the legend, “all children are the same.”

Before leaving, Mrs. Trump asked all the children to join her in making the peace sign.
Meanwhile, in Rome’s Trastevere neighborhood near the Vatican, Ivanka Trump visited the Sant’Egidio Community, a Catholic lay organization that focuses on humanitarian and social justice causes including HIV/AIDS prevention and treatment, peace and reconciliation and assistance to refugees.

Sant’Egidio is also deeply involved in Catholic outreach to other faiths. When Pope Francis returned from a refugee center in Greece in April 2016 with 12 Syrian refugees—all of them Muslim—it was Sant’Egidio that made the arrangements

According to Sant’Egidio’s officials, they talked with Ms. Trump about the community’s work in fields such as human trafficking and global health in Africa.

The struggle against human trafficking, a cause Ms. Trump has embraced, is the rare migration-related issue on which the Vatican and the White House see eye to eye. According to one of the community’s officials, their conversations with Ms. Trump didn’t touch on Sant’Egidio’s work maintaining safe corridors for asylum seekers from the Middle East and Africa to Europe.

Ms. Trump also met about a dozen women, mostly from Nigeria, who had been trafficked into prostitution and then freed. Before the encounter, she said she would be honored to meet them because of their “strength, faith and perseverance in the face of unspeakable adversity.”

“The meeting was intense and deeply moving,” said Daniela Pompei, a Sant’Egidio official who took part in the meeting. “Everybody shed tears,” she added, including Ms. Trump.

--Francis X. Rocca and Pietro Lombardi

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Trump's Itinerary

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Tour of Brussels Awaits First Lady

BRUSSELS—During President Donald Trump’s talks about military spending with European allies this week, the North Atlantic Treaty Organization has organized a program for Melania Trump, including a visit to the museum honoring the master surrealist, Rene Magritte.

When Mrs. Trump arrives in Brussels on Wednesday, she and her husband will meet briefly with the Belgian king and queen, after which Mr. Trump meets with the Belgian prime minister.

On Thursday NATO will take spouses of leaders on a trip around Brussels. The first stop will be the Magritte museum, followed by a shopping trip to Delvaux, a high-end leather goods firm, and concluding with dinner with Queen Mathilde at a royal palace on the outskirts of Brussels.

U.S. officials wouldn’t confirm which part of the NATO program Mrs. Trump will participate in, although western officials said she planned to join at least part of it.

NATO officials noted that the spousal program is open to both husbands and wives. One allied official joked that German Chancellor Angela Merkel’s husband, Joachim Sauer, could bond with Mrs. Trump during the meal with the queen. But Mr. Sauer rarely travels with the chancellor and isn’t expected to come to the NATO meeting Thursday.

NATO is well versed in spouse programs. While NATO’s foreign and defense secretaries rarely travel with significant-others, alliance top military brass often bring partners for twice-annual meetings.

While NATO leaders are a mix of men and women, the top military officers are all men, making the spousal program all-female affairs.

Deanie Dempsey, the wife of the former chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff retired Gen. Martin Dempsey, has done shopping trips, jewelry-making classes, cooking competitions, museum visits and even a scavenger hunt arranged by NATO.

The museum visit and shopping trip for Mrs. Trump and the other spouses is relatively run of the mill. Mrs. Dempsey recalls an outing that amounted to a barefoot obstacle race.

The course in Zutendaal, Belgium, according to NATO, allowed the spouses to “experience the extraordinary tactile sensation of wood, stones, tree, mulch, grass, clay and water underfoot.”

It was, Mrs. Dempsey recalled, an experience.
“We were like, what the hell was this?” Mrs. Dempsey said. “We were in water, we were in sand, we were in rocks. It was pretty hilarious. But you know, we all laughed at ourselves.”

Mrs. Dempsey said the outings for spouses were usually quite fun, but there is a serious side as well. Getting to know other spouses helps solidify relations among senior leaders and countries, she said.

“It is all about relationships,” Mrs. Dempsey. “When you need them it is too late then to start. You better have it in place.”

--Julian E. Barnes

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President Donald Trump and Melania Trump talk with Pope Francis during a meeting at the Vatican.Pool/Reuters

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Dress Code at the Vatican

Melania Trump arrives in the courtyard of San Damaso at the Vatican for a meeting with Pope Francis.Evandro Inetti/Zuma Press

At the Vatican on Wednesday, First Lady Melania Trump was the image of tradition, observing protocol governing women’s dress for a private audience with the pope, which calls for dark and modest clothing and a head covering.

Mrs. Trump wore a tea-length black dress and a black lace veil. The president’s daughter, Ivanka Trump, was also clad in black and wore a veil.

According to protocol, only Catholic queens or the Catholic wives of kings – not even the wives of the princes of Catholic Monaco and Lichtenstein – may wear white in the presence of the pope.

However, such rules have been loosely enforced in recent years, even before the 2013 election of Pope Francis, who is largely indifferent to protocol.

Cherie Blair, wife of Britain’s then-Prime Minister Tony Blair, wore white to meet Pope Benedict XVI in 2006. Last month, when Prince Charles and Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, met Pope Francis, she wore white and left her head entirely uncovered.

Mrs. Trump’s most recent predecessors, Laura Bush and Michelle Obama, both followed the dress protocol during their Vatican visits.